One More Night
by Kroissant
Summary: Gilbert and Rodrigue find out their children - Felix and Annette are dating when one of them accidentally slips. Modern AU and Twitter Request from @eggnog boba


**Hello, this is Kroissant!**

**On Twitter (my account Kroissant4), I encouraged anyone whose a fan of felannie to write up a request and would be put into a raffle. And so, here it is, the very first request I've accepted (credits to eggdog_boba, otherwise known as Ni_ra for being the first to send in an idea) - and not too worry, those who have already sent requests would be all written eventually. Those who are interested in writing up a request, feel free to do so as there's no limit! (visit my profile and the tweet to request is pinned already)**

**Aside from that, I was loosely inspired by Final Fantasy XV music fan music**  
**Here is the playlist below for those interested:**

**FFXV main theme - beginning ( watch?v=4kJrVQwnB2U)**  
**Stella's theme - play when Annette enters ( watch?v=OvA3aPLOq1c)**  
**Strolling Under a Cloudless Sky ( watch?v=giLBdUQIVek)**  
**Tifa's Theme ( watch?v=x20TtbnUJ3E)**

**That's all for now! Be sure to read all the way to the ending notes as I have an announcement I would like to share with you all!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Felix stared blankly at the nonstop downpour behind the dark-tinted windows.

Lips fixed in a straight, thin line, eyebrows pitched together, arms crossed over his chest while the side of his head slants back on the cushion of his seat—with each passing minute, the backseats of their large, black convertible—composed of a large lounge space, a small table to display the many bottles of wines and accessible glassware, with a large, dark-tinted 'wall' to separate them from their designated driver at the front—where he and his father were in, continued to prolong with complete, and utter stillness.

Tonight, on the second week of the Red Wolf Moon, the weather was ferocious as ever. Not that Felix seemed to mind one bit. In truth, he secretly relished the chaotic exhibition—matching, in accordance, to the sort of mood he was dealing with at the moment: cold, bitter, and irritated.

"Felix,"

On cue, the dark-haired man lazily motioned his head to the right, to where his father was seated, right across from him and gazing back with the same, listless expression—one which he had grown accustomed to over the last, few years.

"In less than an hour, we will be arriving at our destination," Rodrigue's voice rang out, callous yet lulling, breaking the muteness within the obscure, confined space. "I implore you to be on your best behavior."

Felix scoffs under his breath. "Do I have a choice?"

"Felix," Rodrigue raises his voice, putting the pocket watch he held inside his breast pocket. He settles back to place his hands on his knees, his full attention now on his moody son. "As the next in line to run the Department of Kingdom Security, I ask of you to at least be courteous toward our guests for tonight," His eyes narrowed. "If we can somehow strike a negotiable deal with them, we can guarantee more strength and reinforcements for the border," A pause. "Do you remember Sir Pronislav?"

"Who?"

Rodrigue blinks, though was quick to catch on and lets out a light-hearted laugh. "Ah, my mistake," Waving his dismissive hand, leans back against his chair and refocuses his icy, blue gaze on the latter. "You must have been quite young to not have known. He's a veteran police officer in charge of protecting the royal family," He went on, "I believe as of right now, he is currently making preparations to help Dimitri ascend the throne as the rightful king in the next forthcoming weeks," As he said those words, he lets a carefree smile slip past his lips and murmur, "I hear he has a gorgeous daughter around your age. Perhaps you would care to entertain her and—"

"I already have someone," Felix cuts in, already coming upfront to expose his relationship status. "And there's no way in hell I'm giving up on her,"

His father, unsurprisingly, remained passive as ever. "I understand where you are coming from," He began, "but you must at least give this one a chance—"

Felix leers at him.

Rodrigue emits a long, heavy sigh. "Fine. Do as you will," Making himself comfortable in his seat, he murmurs in a low, soft tone, "In time, you will understand the struggles of long-distance," A pause. "You must know, Felix," He goes on, "that what I am doing is all for you. For your future and our family name,"

Felix curls his hands into fists.

Just ignore him, he tells himself, and repeats it for the next minute or so.

Once more, father and son are left with no more words to exchange with as another moment of silence settles in.

* * *

Knowing the old man, he was always one step ahead of everything, especially when it came to Felix's unforsaken future.

No matter how many times he'd refuse any potential offers to get tossed into one of his schemes, in the end, there was no stopping his father and his ridiculous mission to get him to wed.

Even so, Felix refused to give in to his wishes.

Not when he was already committed to another—a woman he had claimed as his not so long ago.

Felix loved her since their days attending the institute of Garreg Mach, and even then, by the time they both graduated with the rest of their friends and classmates.

And when their mutual pining one another was eagerly reciprocated (and to their shock, the others—including their Professor—unanimously congratulated them to the successful end to their slow-burn romance lasting almost four years), in a few short months, they temporarily lived under the same roof together (close to Garreg Mach for an easy commute as _she _aimed for her master's degree) and after gaining her consent, became one under the sheets…each following day, the more he sent time with her, the more Felix's infatuation for her intensified.

Memories of their moments together flooded in every turn: camping outside on the roof to snuggle under the stars, sleeping on the couch while watching a movie marathon of their choice, and cleaning up the apartment each month with him keenly listening to her as she sang away with one of her delightful tunes—recalling them caused his stomach to be overflowed with a burst of familial warmth.

Until one image came to mind and a heavy feeling invaded, making him go numb…of her waving him goodbye with that smile of hers, as she ventured off to the airplane that would whisk her away from him.

Like all relationships, theirs was put to the test through long-distance.

Becoming reminded of this, Felix lowered his chin, few of his dark bangs drooping to conceal his gloomy, downcast eyes.

Sadly, they were to part ways due to her decision to return to her hometown and pursue her dream as an elementary school teacher. Meanwhile, Felix was to be summoned back by the call of his father, where he was to be vigorously trained, alongside his other childhood friends, Sylvain and Ingrid, to be well-groomed and settle in as the next leading successors to their family's respective companies.

It was awfully difficult during the first few weeks without her—especially not having to wake up to her angelic face nor her loud snoring he grew so fond of hearing.

With the demise of his older brother Glenn roughly eight years ago, whom had died in the line of duty hounding after a certain group suspected to have murdered the late King Lambert, and by their father's decision to arrange him with Ingrid, of all people), Felix was to be the one next in line of the national defense for the Kingdom.

It was to be expected after all, as Felix was in a family consisting of a long line of descendants who have all sworn and served the King as his right-hand man for many generations, with Kyphoon being the most distinguishable of them all as he was the one to be the first to formally establish the creation and purpose of their family name—the Fraldarius Police Force.

Sad to say that Felix's entire life—from childhood to adulthood wasn't exactly a simple cakewalk, especially when a few months before he had reached his fifteenth birthday, his bedridden mother had been struck ill and had unfortunately passed away in her sleep…leaving him to be raised by his father who drowned himself in heavy liquor and later on, when he managed to gain a little of his strength back, took it upon himself to raise the orphaned prince, ignorant of the spare he had left in the shadows to fend for himself.

Since then, their father-and-son relationship has remained constrained and unbearable. If it were not for _her,_ who came into his life at the right place at the right time, who knows what might have happened to him…possibly wandering about like Dimitri who had done it at the time.

Frowning, Felix shook his head and brought his hands together, intertwining his fingers collectively.

Goddess, how Felix missed _her_ and her sweet smile, the lovely songs she would weave together like magic, and the jubilant, light-snorting laughter only she could pull off on her own. _She_ was everything to him, his future, his home…

And though they agreed to communicate at least three times per week, it still wasn't enough. Felix had the desire to touch her and be by her side again.

How strange it was, for these words to stem from the mindset of a stoic grouch such as him. Yet, five years have gone and no longer was he the miserable, depressed teenager he used to be in the past. In a way, he changed remarkably in personality, already coming into terms of the mistakes he had done and was able to rekindle his broken friendship with the crown prince, Dimitri, Sylvain, Ingrid, and the rest of his housemates.

All thanks to a certain woman he was incredibly and still is, smitten toward.

Felix glances at his phone idly sticking out from the front pocket of his black dress suit. It's been four days since he had last received a single text or a phone call from _her _and it was driving him mad. Patience was eating him away and by the Goddess, he was _this _close to purchasing a plane ticket to fly to wherever she was and scoop her into his arms where she belonged.

As if Seiros from above heard his wishes, grants him with the rare chance to hopefully bump into her somewhere in Fhirdiad…in the form of an invitation to go to an orchestrated gathering, with his father of all people.

"We're here," Rodrigue murmurs on the other side, forcing the latter to return to reality. flickering his dull, gray eyes to the direction of the right window.

Collecting himself, Felix clears his throat and follows suit, gazing away from his phone to slowly lean in and squint through the darkened environment. His eyes slightly widened, though reverted to a certain degree as he silently drank in the sights of the blazing polychromic lights deriving from each passing vehicle, streetlamp, and so forth.

From a few feet away, there stood a large, towering building made of glass. As their convertible drew near the entrance where a set of two male attendants, dressed to fit in the decorum, stood firm and collected under the large banner depicting the blue-themed Kingdom flag, Felix's expression turned sour.

The place seems to match the description he and his father received from the context of their letter, where they were to attend the ever so prestige party to meet the distinguished, veteran guard of the royal liege.

"Felix,"

Again, his name was called out and the dark-haired man peers over his shoulder, his left brow slightly raised. He finds his old man giving him that look—the same look he has witnessed since his youth. The look of discipline and order, with a tinge of wariness, as expected of a paternal figure.

Breathing in a low sigh, Felix looks back to the window once more. He lets his hand slip through the pocket of his dress suit, pushing his phone in, though allowed his touch to linger a little more on the phone screen.

As soon as their convertible stopped moving, Felix put his game face on—head held high and his expression apathetic as ever.

He watches his father take the first leave—pushing through the car door and walking out from the convertible in a graceful manner. Once he stepped out into the cold, dampened ground and trotted off, Felix took this as a signal to follow after him.

"Let's get this over with…"

* * *

Upon arriving at the eleventh floor of the building and after a few twists and turns, the Fraldarius men entered inside the restaurant as preordained in the invitation.

There, they were immediately escorted to their table where they were warmly greeted by a giant man.

After a brief moment of introducing themselves—with Rodrigue mostly taking the helm of the conversation in fear the sharp tongue of his son might put them in jeopardy—the three individuals settled down in their seats.

To Felix's growing amusement, the basic color of Sir Pronislav's hair looked awfully familiar, becoming reminded of another person whom he knew to have a strikingly, similar shade.

While the adults chattered away, Felix was left on his own, and took this time to extract his phone from his dress pocket. Right away, the default image of his sword collection resurfaced on his lock screen. Swiping his thumb and tinkering away with his password, his gaze softened the moment he unlocked security.

Minding the large arrangement of apps, Felix was drawn to the wallpaper on his home screen—of a young woman in a light-blue nightgown, her elbows propped on the marble kitchen counter and with a fork and knife at hand was delightfully consuming the large pile of pancakes on her plate.

As messy as she looked to be—with her hair tousled, the collar of her nightgown slightly angled on the right to reveal her fair, freckled skin, and the few bits of crumbs sprinkled near the corner of her lips—to him, it was picture perfect, all thanks to that large, dumb grin on her face.

A sharp pinch on his elbow forced Felix to revert to reality. Startled, he turns quickly to face his father. Again, there was that look on his face, and as usual, Felix responded with his own.

"You are Felix Hugo, yes?"

Felix whirls his head a little to the left, getting a better look at the old, wise man sitting on the other side of the table.

Like his father, Rodrigue, the facial features of Sir Pronislav were painfully apparent with weariness, littered with a few wrinkles here and there along his jaw, as if all the strength and energy had been drained right out of him over the course of the twenty years prior to his servitude for the Bladdiyd royal family. He wore his stone-cold expression with prideful, blue eyes—another trait which struck a chord in Felix, and for the umpteenth time, that day founded himself reminiscing _her_ again.

"I hear you attended the institute of Garreg Mach," Sir Pronislav began, his booming voice deep and loud. "And that you were enlisted in the House of the Blue Lions…"

Felix frowned, mildly confused by what he heard. "That's right," He confirmed, nodding. Crossing his arms, he gave his father a side-glance before locking his eyes back on their guest.

"My daughter recently graduated from there," Sir Pronislav went on, mustering a tiny smile. "And hails from the same house as you did."

Felix wasn't impressed. It seems his father was quite the chatterbox, already informing his old friend—a suspicious-looking stranger in his eyes—of his general background haphazardly.

"And what of it?" He began, tipping his head and staring down at him. "Let me guess. Since this daughter of yours is around the same age as me, you are wondering if I know her?"

Felix felt the same, sharp touch digging into his skin, but chose to cast the lingering pain aside. Dismissing the distasteful glare from his father, he cleared his throat. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I honestly have no clue whatsoever,"

From the sidelines, Rodrigue shook his head in dismay.

Sir Pronislav blinked, taking a moment to process his words, and slowly fixed his lips in a firm line. "I see…" was all he could say, the drop of his booming voice reducing to that of a low, hushed whisper.

Taking notice of this sudden change, Felix clicked his tongue. He veered his gaze to his feet below the table, unable to know what else to say or do. He held his ground, firm with his words and yet, deep in his chest, a small part of him was aching, knowing full well of the consequences as a result of what he had said. He let out a long, exasperated sigh. He had done it again, sputtering out crude words as if he was asking for a fight.

Felix could feel the eyes of his father on him, but again, chose to ignore it as he already knew the kind of expression etched on his face—full and utter disappointment.

"I apologize for my son's rudeness, Gilbert," Rodrigue intervened, hoping to steer the tension of the conversation to a different topic. "He's not normally like this—"

Gilbert raises his hand. "It's fine, old friend," He assures the latter with a weak smile, "It seems children these days never cease to surprise me with their boldness,"

The second he finished his sentence, a loud crash erupted.

A low chuckle escaped his lips. "Speaking of the devil, my daughter is here," And rises to his feet.

Felix quirks an eyebrow, curious as to what might be going on behind the scenes. He looks to his father who, too shared the same look of uncertainty before eventually standing up from his seat and looking over to the direction of where Gilbert had gone off.

Inhaling a deep breath, Felix joined his father as well, standing up and taking a step forward, tilted his head to get a better look of the latecomer.

Slowly, his eyes broadened. His mouth gaping a little open.

At that very moment, time stood still.

And there _she_ was.

"…Annette," Felix utter lowly under his breath.

Gaze softening, all he could do was stare fondly at the young, beautiful woman being escorted to their table with the assistance of her father, her right arm snaked over his left like a vine-like grip. The deep V-neck cocktail sapphire blue dress she wore hugged her petite frame, showing off her curves in the right places, and her ribbon choker, embellished with sparkles of tiny, shimmering pearls brought out the lustrous shine embedded in her big, blue eyes.

She was slightly out of breath, probably from having to sprint all the way here for being tardy, her beautiful locks of marmalade hair spilling down her shoulders tousled and wet in all directions. Her bare shoulder blades, light and freckled, shone brightly on her, emitting a large beam to gravitate around her form.

She was stunning.

Felix swallowed thickly, blushing furiously as he dared to take the extra mile to venture a little further down—keeping a note of her exposed, long legs and the blue, laced-up heels she had on, the same one he remembered purchasing for her twenty-third birthday. He inspected her from head to toe a few more times, drinking up the sight of her riveting beauty, and for a few short seconds, had forgotten how to breathe.

The corners of his lips curved upwards.

Here he was, falling in love all over again.

Lost in her eyes, Felix failed to notice his father checking up on him, and after nudging him a few times, was quick to return to his senses, heat staining across his cheeks for getting caught red-handed.

Rodrigue furrowed his eyebrows, turned his gaze to the latecomer coming into view, and then to his son who quickly looked away. From the corner of his eye, he was surprised to find him covering his mouth with the back of his mouth.

At this, Rodrigue grinned earnestly. He gave a knowing look to Gilbert, who nodded in response.

"This here is my only daughter," Gilbert proclaimed, jerking his chin to the young woman next to him. "My pride and joy, and the heiress to House Dominic,"

Taking the signal, the woman smiled. "Greetings to you both. I am Annette Fantine Dominic," She introduced herself and removing her arm from her father's, proceeded to slightly dip her knees to do a curtsy.

Charmed by her, Rodrigue went ahead and graciously took her hand. "My lady, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," And inclined his head to peck her knuckles. "My name is Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius," Releasing her, he gestures an arm toward his frozen-still son. "And this here is—"

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius," Annette answers for him, and with a mischievous glint in her eyes, strides closer to the quiet young man. "Eldest son of House Fraldarius, and the soon-to-be successor of Fraldarius Police Force,"

Hearing his name, Felix looked up and the moment he laid eyes on her, his heart skipped a beat.

Annette flashes him a sweet smile.

Felix drew in a sharp breath, fighting back the urge to kiss her right then and there. And then a thought crossed his mind and taking a moment to gather himself, put on his stone-faced mask.

"…Miss Dominic, I presume," He played along, and reached out to gently take her hand. Pressing his slightly chapped lips to her skin, he let it linger there for five seconds before withdrawing, smiling when he noticed her lightly shivering from his act.

"Do the two of you know each other?" Gilbert asked, getting their attention. "It seems you are closer than I thought,"

Annette simply smiled. "We started the same year at the Institute of Garreg Mach and just happened to share the same House," She explains, "Isn't that right, Felix?"

Felix nodded, grinning a little…oblivious how in the background, Rodrigue had his eyes on him, intrigued by their irregular communication.

* * *

For the next hour or so, the table became quite lively as Rodrigue didn't hesitate to throw questions at Annette.

One after another, she answered them lithely, and successfully dodging a few of the questions touching upon their closeness. In the end, she managed to get through it all with no trouble, lacing the secret of her and Felix's relationship secured with white lies effectively to reduce their doubts.

As their fathers got into a heated debate of politics, remained in silence, under the cloth of the table, they had removed one of their shoes—Felix casually taking off his right loafer and Annette sneakily removing her left strap-on, to engage in a battle of footsies—all the while keeping a straight face as they consumed their meals.

Annette smiled earnestly, closing her eyes and humming softly as Felix crept his right hand from under the cloth to let his fingers linger on her knee, and when he had touched a sensitive spot on her, was quick to look up, chuckling lowly as he observed the latter cover her mouth.

"Are you okay, Annette?" Gilbert asked her with worrisome eyes.

Annette forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine," She assures him, "The taste of the steak got me jumpy, is all," As her father looked away, Annette shot her boyfriend a death glare. "I hate you," She mouthed right at him.

All Felix could do was quirk his brow, the smugness on his smile still intact as he resumed slicing the meat on his plate with a knife.

Puffing her cheeks, Annette picked on her food, though a hint of a smile surfaces on her face as she snuck a glimpse at her boyfriend before reverting to her meal.

Time again, the pair would get involved in another round of footsies, and most often, Felix would be the one to claim victory. And while they made faces at each other, with Annette sticking out her tongue and Felix mindlessly grinning away at her childishness, were blissfully unaware of a pair of watchful eyes keenly observing them on the other side of the table.

* * *

Once the dinner course was over and plates were dispersed away, Rodrigue and Gilbert remained in their seats, chatting up a storm as they got in a heated debate over the issues of politics and Dimitri's ascension to the throne.

All of a sudden, Annette stood up and as she pushed her chair, smiled and excused herself to get a bit of fresh air. After Gilbert waves her off and continued his talk with Rodrigue, this left Felix to his lonesome, still a bit high from having to participate in the constant fondling and gentle caressing against _her_ skin.

His phone vibrated from his dress pocket.

Alarmed, Felix took it out and upon pressing the middle button, was greeted by a message on the phone screen.

_Meet me outside near the windows_

Felix smiled.

Pocketing his phone, he abruptly got up as well, excusing himself to go to the bathroom. As usual, the adults paid no mind to this, and luckily for him, the location of the bathroom just so happened to be near the doors leading out to the exit.

Quickening his pace, Felix stepped out from the restaurant and into the open, wide halls. He lingered around, his eyes searching for any traces of orange and blue within range. Two minutes passed and at last, he found her—sitting on a bench sandwiched by two large potted plants and staring at the reflection of the dark evening sky through the hazy, mirrored windows.

Slowing down, Felix approached her quietly, and as he drew closer, his ears picked up the sound of her softly humming. As he stood no more than a few meters away, he reached down and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest and placing his chin on top of her head.

After so long, she was finally in his arms…for a few brief seconds as she slipped away from his touch, sliding her body from the bench and into the floor, and then sprung up again and twirled around to face him properly.

"Why didn't you tell me your father was Sir Pronislav?" Felix asked out of the blue.

Annette cracks a goofy grin. "You never asked," She points out, smiling away. "Father doesn't associate himself with that surname anymore," Her eyes went downcast for a moment, and Felix took notice of this.

"When he decided to serve the late King Lambert, father renounced his title as the current head of our House, and was replaced by his younger brother, which happens to be my overly dotting Uncle," Fidgeting with the hem of her dress, Annette looks up and gives him one of her brightest smiles.

Felix frowned, already seeing right through her false visage.

"Don't worry about it," She assures him and splits her lips into a wide grin, "You're not the only one who asked me that kind of question," Twirling on her heel, hands knotted together, she strides ahead. "So, how long has it been? Three months?"

"Make that four," Felix corrects her and follows in step with her as she waded through the halls.

Annette smiles. "It has been quite some time then,"

"I heard you got yourself a boyfriend," Felix playfully starts and grins wider when he catches her scrunching up her face. "Tell me, how has he been treating you since you've split ways?"

Annette contemplates for a moment, then shrugs. "I can't say for sure. There's a big distance between us," She explains, and her expression softens. "He makes sure to call me now and then. Would send short messages about his day and would ask how mine was," She releases a light giggle. "Sometimes, he'll send in care packages out of nowhere, and there'll be a bunch of my favorite sweets,"

Scarlet crept onto his cheeks. Felix clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked the other way. "He sounds quite the keeper,"

Annette smiles earnestly. "Yes, he is,"

"Are you thinking of staying with this guy?"

Pursing her lips, Annette anxiously folded her arms, mulling her thoughts over.

"Can't say for sure…" She trails off, motioning her head to look at the mirror windows. She catches their reflections on the clear, translucent mirror and puts her hands to her chest. "But I have faith in him," She said in a gentle, hushed voice, "He's strong, both inside and out. He can be a bit unnerving at times and does keep to himself, but he cares so much. He doesn't show it, but I know it," Again, she smiles, her cheeks flushed. "He's my big old grump, and I wouldn't have it any other way,"

Felix's gaze turned soft; his cheeks tinged with red. A small smile tugged at his lips, secretly delighted in the answer he received from her.

"And what about you?"

Pausing, Felix blinked. "Me?"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Annette asks, poking fun of him as she wriggles her eyebrows suggestively. "What's she like anyway?"

Felix frowns, running through his thoughts for a moment. "She's an annoyance," He said right away, "Obsessive and impulsive, and always makes a mess of things," From the corner of his eye, he watched her puff her chest, struggling hard to glare at him.

Felix shook his head and lets the smile slip through his lips. "She's a hard worker," He goes on, startling her. "And isn't afraid to make mistakes. songs—they're stuck in my head, permanently intact. Her voice is contagious, and her smile is infectious," He turns to face her and gives her a soft look. "I can't seem to get enough of it,"

Felix takes a step forward, his smile growing as he catches her retreating backward, further and further until she lets out a squeak, her eyes still boring on his as she found herself cornered against a wall. "We're worlds apart from each other but it makes me happy to know she's doing her best to achieve her dreams,"

Annette blushed furiously. "…What if this whole long-distance doesn't work?" She asked, growing concerned and as he got closer to her, reaches out to let her fingers graze on his navy, blue tie. "What if…he finds someone better than…" She doesn't finish the sentence, biting her lip as her vision begins to glisten.

Ever so slowly, Felix lifts his arm to plant one of his hands on the walls, trapping the poor woman.

"Trust me. There won't be another girl just like her," He tells her and leans closer, their breathing hot and heavy as he closed the distance between them. "Why should I give up when I already know who I want to be with?" He musters a smile and leans more, pressing their foreheads together and said softly, "I hope she knows how irreplaceable she is to me," Withdrawing one hand from the wall, he brings his hand to slowly caress her right, rosy cheek. "And how I'm willing to fight anyone just to be with her,"

Annette shivers from his touch, tipping her head as she relishes to feel his budding warmth. "…Can he prove it?"

Looking up to face her, Felix gives her an impish smirk. Wasting no time, he kissed her.

Annette closed her eyes, leaning in to reciprocate, and smiling through the kiss while her hands came up around his neck and hair. Felix let his hand rest below her ear, his thumb gently caressing along her cheek, their breathing mingling as one.

It was soft, slow, and perfect...just like how she remembered.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally separate, gazing at each other.

Felix dives in, placing his chin along the crook of her neck, and sighing in content as he inhaled her. "…I've missed you,"

Annette smiles. "I miss you too, Felix," And closes her eyes to softly hum to herself.

They fell into silence, thanking their lucky stars and Seiros above for allowing them to finally reunite in each other's embrace after so long.

Felix peppers her skin with butterfly kisses, and a wave of pure pleasure runs through his entire body. Her perfume, her sweat, her hitched breathing…after four months without her, he finally got what he wanted.

But it wasn't enough to satisfy his hunger.

Damn it, he wanted more of her.

Unable to contain himself, Felix brings a hand behind her head and pulls her in for a fiery, passionate kiss.

Once again, Annette eagerly reciprocates, her hands working their way to undoing his tie and removing his ponytail to let his long, silky black hair to cascade freely down his shoulders.

Felix pushes her harder against the wall, venturing his hands under her sapphire gown and raising her right leg a little, stroking it. Lips smacking, more biting and sucking, intensified moaning—eventually, the lovers broke off, with a strand of saliva trailing off from the tips of their tongues.

"I need you," Annette whimpers in his ear, "_Please_,"

Felix smiles, her words music to his ears. He chuckles, as he too, was beginning to feel something down there getting hard.

"I know, Ann," He replies, using her nickname fondly while letting his fingers run through her already ruffled hair. "I do too,"

Before she could say anything, Felix captures her lips again for another loving, sweet kiss.

Pulling away, Felix flashes her another genuine smile.

"Let's get out of here, shall we?"

* * *

"Thank you for the invite," Rodrigue expresses, halting in place to bow his head graciously and respectfully.

Gilbert shakes his head. "No need for that, old friend," He assures, waving his hand, and heads down to the end of the halls where the windows are. "Next time you visit the capital, there will be more dinner plans ahead,"

As they drew closer to the edge, Rodrigue takes a peek outside.

The rain was still pouring, with the rolling boom of thunder reverberating overhead. And from the looks of the dark clouds, there was no telling when it was going to light up. Veering his focus to the empty streets, he squints his eyes.

He eyed a pair rushing outside, drenched to the skin as they were caught in the rain.

At first, Rodrigue assumed them to be no more than two unfortunate souls seeking shelter until the colors of blue and orange came into view, prompting him to raise a curious brow.

"…What have we here?"

Rodrigue zoomed in on the pair, who resorted to using the man's blazer to protect them from the downpour.

"Gilbert,"

"Yes?"

"Has your daughter ever mention a boyfriend to you?" Rodrigue wondered, finally turning around to face the veteran officer.

Gilbert frowned, crossing his arms. "I believe so,"

"Did she say anything about him?"

"I'm afraid she did not provide me a name," The red-haired officer explained, his jaw clenched. His stone-cold expression was engraved with a trace of emotion and was unfortunately indecipherable to the latter. "She did, however, spoke highly of his occupation. Something about him serving the kingdom for the greater good, and was to be enlisted among the top rank in the forthcoming months,"

Rodrigue nodded firmly, trying to piece everything together. "Same goes for my son," He explains, reverting his sights to the interesting pair that piqued his interest. "He's committed to another, and all he has mentioned of her was her career in education. A college sweetie, if you will…" A pause. "You don't suppose…our children could be secretly dating each other?"

Gilbert was quick to whirl his head around, baffled by the revelation. "Is that so?" Recalling what happened back at the restaurant, a small smile crept up his face. "From the way they were acting around each other, I wouldn't be the least surprised,"

Rodrigue lets out a low chuckle. "You've noticed too, old friend?" When he receives a nod of confirmation from the latter, he grinned. "Does this call for a toast of celebration then?"

"Easy there, Rodrigue," Gilbert pesters him, giving him a cold glare, "We are not sure if they are really—"

"I believe I already know the answer," Rodrigue cuts him off, stepping to the side and gestures a hand over to the window. "Come see for yourself,"

Gilbert pries his mouth to open, only to stop himself and shook his head. Inhaling a deep breath, he cautiously ambled over to where his friend stood, and as he reached the windows, tipped his head and narrowed his eyes, straining to see through the rain. When he spotted a familiar pair, his eyes widened. "Well, I'll be…"

"They look pretty good together, don't they?" Rodrigue comments, grinning widely as he observed the children from faraway, who seemed to be in a world of their own.

Gilbert shoots the dark-haired man a wary look, and then sighs heavily, "I'll give it two years for your boy to step in and ask me for my daughter's hand in marriage,"

"I take up that offer as well," Rodrigue agrees, propping his chin on the knuckles of his right left fist. A growing smile resurfaces across his lips. "Just think of the many children they'll have together," As he said those words, excitement struck him. "Imagine what they might look like, running around with their little legs,"

"Easy there, old friend," Gilbert chided, giving him a stern look. "The future is light years ahead. For now, let them do as they please…" And looked back to gaze fondly at the children who leaned in for another kiss. "And we shall wait when the time comes for them to make the decision,"

* * *

Stirring from his sleep, Felix fluttered his eyes wide open.

Bringing his left hand to his throbbing temple, he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to process his surroundings. He was on a bed, sprawled over under the comforters, feeling rejuvenated. The smell of after-sex whiffed through his nostrils, and it wasn't long until he took notice of the pile of clothes lingering across the floorboards that he was able to recall what had happened previous night—after they escaped from their fathers, they had ridden on a taxi cab and went straight for a hotel, where they did the deed multiple times.

Breathing in, Felix melted into a tiny smile and glanced over to the space on his right where his partner laid fast-asleep, snoring loudly without a care, her bright, marmalade hair more tousled than ever before and her fair, freckled skin littered with bits of bite marks and hickeys along her neck, shoulders, and thighs poking out from the blankets.

Felix stared at the breathtaking view of his girlfriend and reaches out, his fingers weaving through her fluffy tresses and with his other hand, playfully pinches her nose.

In response, Annette crinkles her nose, and after gently swiping his hands away, resumes back to her slumber.

Seeing this, Felix released a low chuckle.

He heard the sound of muffled vibrating, alerting him. Twisting his body, he looks to the bedside table where their phones were placed. Seizing his own, Felix lightly pushes the middle button.

A text message appeared on the screen.

The name of the sender caught his eye.

**Sir Pronislav and I have decided to extend our meeting.**

**We will be staying in Fhirdiad for three more days.**

Before Felix could reply, he received another response. Gazing at the new message, his eyes slowly lengthened to a certain degree.

**Put this to good use and use your time wisely.**

Fear gripped his stomach as utter confusion settled in.

Again, he received another response and this time, it finally made sense.

**I saw you with Sir Pronislav's daughter last night**

**And I happily approve**

Wait—did his father just granted them his blessing? Without them ever having to physically confront him to explain the nature and secrecy behind their year-long relationship?

"…Felix?"

Felix angled his head the other way, his full attention solely transfixed on his girlfriend, now wide-awake and was staring back at him with a look of concern. "Everything okay?"

He did not say anything as he went silent. Placing his phone back on the bedside table, he moves forward to instinctively wrap his arms around her waist, joining her under the sheets.

Like most love stories, Felix and Annette had obstacles of their own.

He was to be the successor to take after his father's position as the leader of the Kingdom National Security, while she aspires to be teacher, learning the ropes and spreading knowledge for the next generation.

It was clear that the two of them were meant to live in different worlds but…

Implanting a kiss along her neck, he withdrew to press their foreheads together and closed his eyes, his smile hidden in plain sight as he breathed her in.

The journey ahead was going to be even more difficult, which meant there was bound to be more challenges than ever before.

Even so, Felix didn't care.

Because he had _her_.


End file.
